Review of The Wicker Man (1973) by Scott R — 10 Jan 2011

You know it's a good movie already from the get go when there filming the beautiful English countryside and costal side. I want to visit this part of the world so bad. I love movies that show how beautiful a certain country or town is. Already, the few older gentlemen at the beginning seem suspicious. Love the camera work. Seems familiar to other horror movies of that same time, around the 70's.

I love the very English countryside setting, especially in the pub. The song they chant in the pub seems kind of inappropriate being that it's about the beautiful blonde and there's only guys in the pub. It slips right past you, but you can tell there's something off about it all. It seems to me that the town is completely fine with sex and reproduction and doesn't seem to find any of it as a sin or bad. Which can't be said much of the officer who is a religious man.

I will say that what they are teaching the kids in the schools, about reincarnation through the wind and water and animals, is a pretty beautiful message. That song that's played midway through the movie where the blonde girl is singing, was really wonderful. Pretty twisted the whole back story of Pagans and how they sacrifice humans.

Amazing imagery in this movie. The whole festival scene was intriguing. All the weird and creepy masks. Quite a beautiful but twisted ending. Seeing that huge statue burning with the sun glowing in the background, really mesmerizing. In the end, both religions, Christianity and Paganism, both had their extremes. The officer, representing Christianity, saw everything that was sexual as sinful and evil. While the whole island, representing Paganism, saw it fit to sacrifice a human in order for there crops to grow. Each one was too extreme. If they had both met in the middle somewhere, maybe religion wouldn't seem so harsh and unnecessary.

Overall, absolutely fantastic film! I knew from the beginning that it was going to be one hell of a movie, and boy was I not disappointed. It's always an interesting film when it covers topics such as religion and beliefs.